Fleischer Studio in Miami now a Police Station

When the Fleischer Studio moved to Miami in 1938, Paramount built a state of the art studio building for them to create Gulliver’s Travels, the Superman cartoons and Mr. Bug Goes To Town (not to mention continuing the popular Popeye series). 70 years later, the building is still there at 1701 NW 30th Avenue (near the corner of NW 17th Street and 29th Ave. – current ariel view, above, via Bing Maps). It was, for over 30 years, a Miami-Dade County Child Development Center. Now, Brew reader Bob Frable sends us an update: the building was renovated to become a police station in 2007.

I wonder if the Police take advantage of the Fleischer’s “Future Room” in order to predict when crimes will occur.

sporridge

This facility also did time (sorry, it’s catching…) as airline offices.

Two former Paramount Theatres that would’ve featured the local Fleischer output still stand: Colony Theatre, Miami Beach (co-host of the “Gulliver’s Travels” world premiere, with the since-long-demolished Sheridan) and the Olympia (Gusman Center for the Performing Arts), downtown Miami.

I visited the building in 1982, took some photos, talked to some of the school employees. No one knew it had been a studio, no historical marker. I showed them the Leslie Carbarga book about the Fleischers.
The front had original windows filled in with concrete blocks, now awnings are seen. The front of the building is on Delaware Pkwy, so when I parked at the listed address on 30th Av, I stood there wondering where the studio had been, until I noticed what looked like a two-story theatre at the back of that old school.

I’ve wondered about the fate of this building, whether it was eventually bulldozed for a housing development, or what. Fascinating to know that it still exists, but I wonder what the large theater/sound stage is used for now?

Maybe the cops put suspects in there and force them to watch post-Fleischer Famous Studios cartoons for hours on end: “No more! Please! I confess! I’ll confess to anything, just let me out of here!!!”

Chris Sobieniak

“Maybe the cops put suspects in there and force them to watch post-Fleischer Famous Studios cartoons for hours on end: “No more! Please! I confess! I’ll confess to anything, just let me out of here!!!” ”

If the “Gitmo” prison is closed, the most hardened, rotten Al-Quaeda terror suspects will be taken to Miami and subjected to endless Casper and Baby Huey cartoons until they break down into hopeless, blubbering submissionâ€” begging the authorities to let them surrender and give up all their secret information. Just to make sure, an occasional Little Lulu short will be thrown into the mix.

Which might work… except that no one in U.S. Intelligence could be that heartless!